CN114423707B

CN114423707B - Nozzle with lockable control lever

Info

Publication number: CN114423707B
Application number: CN202080065809.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 乌尔里希·迈尔
Original assignee: Eleflex Schibe Co ltd
Current assignee: Eleflex Schibe Co ltd
Priority date: 2019-09-18
Filing date: 2020-09-16
Publication date: 2023-08-29
Anticipated expiration: 2040-09-16
Also published as: CA3150528A1; EP4031481B1; AR120009A1; US11511988B2; BR112022003247A2; PL4031481T3; BR112022003247B1; AU2020349005A1; EP4031481C0; CN114423707A; ES2961136T3; US20220348452A1; WO2021052975A1; MX2022003233A; EP4031481A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a nozzle (13) for dispensing a fluid, the nozzle comprising a manually operated lever (15) which is movable between a closed position and an open position for controlling the dispensing of the fluid. According to the invention, the control lever (15) comprises a latching pawl (23) which is designed to engage in a slotted guide (22) of the nozzle (13), the latching pawl (23) being designed to follow an opening movement of the control lever (15) in an opening direction (18) and a closing movement of the control lever (15) in a closing direction (18), the latching pawl (23) being movable in a direction perpendicular to the opening and closing direction (18) relative to the control lever (15) by cooperation with the slotted guide (22) into a capture position (25) in which the latching pawl (23) secures the control lever (15) in the opening position. Thanks to the interaction of the latching pawl (23) with the slotted guide (22), a locking device is created for the control lever by a simple design, which is easy to handle for the user.

Description

Nozzle with lockable control lever

Technical Field

The subject of the invention is a filling nozzle for dispensing a fluid. The filling nozzle includes a manually operable lever for controlling the dispensing of the fluid, the lever being movable between a closed position and an open position.

Background

Such filling valves are used, for example, for delivering fuel into a fuel tank of a vehicle. To this end, the filling nozzle may be connected to a connector port of, for example, a fuel tank. The lever may then be moved from the closed position to the open position by manual force of a user. Thus, the main valve is typically open to enable the dispensing of fuel.

The main valve is normally urged into the closed position by a spring force. Thus, the user must apply a certain force to hold the lever in the open position. Over time, this is laborious for the user. It is known from the prior art to provide a catch hook which can be pivoted with the aid of an additional manual movement in order to fix the control lever in the open position. However, additional manual movements need to be performed making use uncomfortable.

It is also known from DE 603 032 79 to provide a braking device which is able to brake the control lever only by moving the control lever into the open position. For this purpose, the braking device comprises a spring-loaded arm with a displaceable shuttle which can selectively lock a portion of the control lever in order to hold the control lever in the open position. The release of the brake is performed by moving the lever in the opening direction. In this prior art, it is disadvantageous that the brake device is constructed using small parts and is therefore prone to wear and is complicated in terms of maintenance.

A filling nozzle according to the preamble of claim 1 is also known from the document US 2016/0347602 A1.

Disclosure of Invention

Starting from this prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide a filling nozzle of the type mentioned at the beginning, which has the possibility of being used for a brake lever which is simple in terms of construction and easy to operate.

This object is achieved by the features of the present invention. Advantageous embodiments are described in the present invention. According to the invention, the control lever has an engagement pawl which is configured to engage in the gate guide of the filling nozzle, wherein the engagement pawl is configured to follow an opening movement of the control lever in the opening direction. Further, the engagement pawl is configured to follow a closing movement of the lever in a closing direction. Furthermore, the engagement pawl is movable in a direction perpendicular to the opening or closing direction relative to the control lever by interaction with the gate guide to a capturing position in which the engagement pawl secures the control lever in the open position.

First, some terms used in the text of the present invention will be explained. The engagement pawl being configured to follow an opening movement or a closing movement of the control lever means that the engagement pawl is entrained by the control lever when the control lever is moved.

For example, the control lever may be connected to the housing of the filling nozzle in an articulated manner such that the control lever moves along a circular path in an opening or closing movement. The control lever may also be displaced (e.g. linearly) or a combination of displacement and pivoting during the opening or closing movement. In the above examples, the engagement pawl following the opening or closing movement of the control lever means that the engagement pawl also moves in the opening or closing direction, thereby performing a circular movement or a linear movement or a combination thereof. A movement perpendicular to the opening or closing direction is superimposed on the movement of the engagement pawl in the opening or closing direction. When the movement is not performed in the opening or closing direction, the movement is considered to be "perpendicular to the opening or closing direction". The movement of the engagement pawl itself in a direction perpendicular to the opening or closing direction can likewise be a linear displacement, a rotational movement or a superposition of said movements relative to the control lever.

The engagement pawl according to the invention engages in the gate guide and is thus displaced by the gate guide such that it can reach the catch position. In the capture position, the engagement pawl secures the lever in the open position. The gate guide may have a support surface on which the engagement pawl is supported, for example, in the capture position. Thus, the force exerted on the lever in the closing direction can be guided into the support surface by the connection with the engagement pawl. In this case, a reaction force is exerted on the engagement pawl in the catch position, which counteracts the opening force acting on the control lever, so that the control lever remains in the open position. It has proven to be possible for embodiments of this design to be realized in a reliable and simple manner in terms of construction and to ensure a firm fixation of the control rod.

The engagement pawl is preferably provided on the rear end of the lever opposite the connection point of the lever to the housing of the filling nozzle. At this rear end, the range of movement is greatest, in particular in the case of a control lever connected in an articulated manner, which simplifies the guiding of the engagement pawl in the gate guide.

In a preferred embodiment, the gate guide has a gate path along which the engagement pawl is movable, wherein the gate path has an initial position and a capture position, and wherein the gate path is preferably intrinsically closed. When the gate path is inherently closed, the engagement pawl can move along the gate path from the initial position through the capture position back to the initial position without having to pass through the same portion of the path twice. Thus, the movement sequence of the control lever can explicitly specify a corresponding movement sequence of the engagement pawl within the gate guide, which increases the reliability of operation.

It may be provided that the engagement pawl is disposed in the initial position when the lever is in the closed position. The engagement pawl, starting from the initial position, can then be moved along the brake path into the catch position by an opening movement of the control lever, thereby securing the control lever in the open position. For this purpose, the brake guide can have a catch position entry path along which the engagement pawl is movable from the initial position into the catch position. The catch position entry path particularly preferably comprises a first portion along which the engagement pawl is driven by a movement of the control lever in the opening direction and a second portion along which the engagement pawl is driven by a movement of the control lever in the closing direction. The first portion of the capture-position access path may have an upper end defined by a stop defining the mobility of the lever in the opening direction. It may be provided, for example, that the stop is configured to interact with the engagement pawl. However, as such, when the engagement pawl meets the stopper, a considerable force will be exerted on the engagement pawl, which will require an embodiment that reinforces the engagement pawl. Thus, it is preferred that the stopper is configured to interact with the control lever or with a stopper element connected to the control lever. Thereby, the movement of the control lever and thus also the movement of the engagement pawl can be delimited in the opening direction by the stopper. Since the sequence of movement is reversed at the end of the first portion, the user receives a tactile feedback indicating to the user that the engagement pawl is being introduced into the capture position and therefore the lever will reliably reach the open position as movement continues.

Furthermore, the brake path preferably has a catch-position exit path along which the engagement pawl is movable from the catch position into the initial position, wherein the catch-position exit path has a first portion along which the engagement pawl is entrained by a movement of the control lever in the opening direction and a second portion along which the engagement pawl is entrained by a movement of the control lever in the closing direction. The first part of the catch position exit path may have an upper end which is formed by a stop which delimits the mobility of the control rod in the opening direction. Also here, it is preferred that the stop is configured to interact with the control lever or with a stop element connected to the control lever. Movement along the first portion of the path away from the capture position may be used to release the engagement pawl from the capture position. In this case, in the transition from the first part to the second part, a haptic feedback is also given to the user here, which indicates to the user that the engagement pawl is now free and that the control lever can therefore be returned to the closed position, as a result of the definition of the movement and the subsequent reversal of the movement of the control lever.

According to the invention, the gate guide has at least one guide surface for engaging the pawl, wherein the guide surface encloses an angle with the opening or closing direction. The mobility of the engagement pawl perpendicular to the opening or closing direction is to enable the engagement pawl to be guided into the catch position in a simple manner by a guide surface of the gate guide that is inclined relative to the opening or closing direction.

According to the invention, the guide surface comprises at least one guide portion which can be deflected against a restoring force by interaction with the engagement pawl. The guide portion is preferably capable of returning to the rest position by a restoring force. No restoring force acts on the guide portion when it is in the rest position; in this case, the guide portion may thus deflect in an elastic manner.

The brake path preferably comprises at least one constriction point which has a guide portion and which, in the movement of the control lever in the first direction, enables the engagement pawl to pass, since the engagement pawl deflects the guide portion when passing. It is also preferred that the pinch point obstructs the gate path of the engagement pawl in movement of the lever in a second direction opposite the first direction. By means of an embodiment of this design, it is achieved that the engagement pawl can pass the pinch point in the movement in the first direction, because the engagement pawl deflects the guiding portion, in particular because the engagement pawl displaces the guiding portion. After the engagement pawl thus passes the pinch point, it is no longer possible to move in the opposite direction past the pinch point. Thanks to this embodiment of the design, the engagement pawl deflects in a particularly efficient and simple manner when passing the pinch point.

The contraction point may be formed of a guide portion and a guide surface opposite to the guide portion, wherein a space between the guide portion and the guide surface is enlarged by deflection of the guide portion when the control lever is moved in the first direction, and wherein a space between the guide portion and the guide surface is reduced by deflection of the guide portion when the control lever is moved in the second direction. The pinch point may be provided, for example, in a capture-position entrance path in which the first direction is an opening direction and the second direction is a closing direction. For the purpose of improving the deflection of the latching element, further constriction points can be provided at other points of the gate guide, which ensure that the engagement pawl deflects when the direction of movement of the control lever is reversed.

Drawings

The invention will be explained below by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1: a longitudinal section through a filling nozzle according to the invention is shown;

fig. 2: an enlarged cross-sectional view of portion B marked in fig. 1 is shown; and

fig. 3: a cross-sectional view of a portion of a filling nozzle according to the present invention is shown, taken along line D-D shown in fig. 2.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal section through a filling nozzle 13 according to the invention. The filling nozzle comprises on one side a connector 14 for connecting the filling nozzle 13 to a fuel hose (not shown) and on the other side an outlet pipe 12 which can be introduced, for example, into the fuel tank of a motor vehicle in order to convey fuel supplied through the connector 14 into the fuel tank. The delivery of fuel with the aid of the control lever 15 may be controlled.

The control lever 15 is connected in an articulated manner to the housing 17 of the filling nozzle 13 and is also connected in a known manner to a main valve which, depending on the position of the control lever 15, allows or prevents the flow of fuel through the filling nozzle. The control lever 15 is moved in the opening or closing direction indicated by a double arrow 18 in fig. 1. For simplicity, the opening and closing directions will be identified hereinafter by reference numeral 18. By means of the articulated connection between the control rod 15 and the housing 17, the direction 18 extends along an endless path. Thus, the opening or closing direction 18 also extends along a circular path.

A closing force acts on the control lever 15 such that an external force (e.g. a manual force of a user) opposite to the closing force has to be applied to move the control lever 15 from the closed position into the open position. In fig. 1, the lever 15 is in an open position allowing fuel to flow through the filling nozzle.

The gate guide 22 according to the invention is arranged on the filling nozzle 13, wherein the gate guide 22 engages with an engagement pawl, which is not visible in fig. 1. The control lever 15 can be braked in the open position with the aid of the interaction of the brake guide 22 with the engagement pawl. This will be explained in detail below with reference to fig. 2 and 3.

Fig. 2 shows an enlarged view of the portion of fig. 1 identified by the letter B. As can be seen in the view of fig. 2, the engagement pawl 23 is fastened to the rear end of the control lever 15. The engagement pawl 23 is connected to the control lever 15 by a hinged connection 20 that prevents movement of the engagement pawl 23 relative to the control lever 15 in the direction 18. Thus, when the control rod 15 is moved in the direction 18, the engagement pawl 23 is entrained by said control rod 15 and moves with the control rod in the direction 18. In contrast, the articulated connection 20 enables a rotational movement of the engagement pawl 23 relative to the control rod 15 about an axis 21, which is indicated by a dashed line in fig. 2.

The engagement pawl 23 comprises a latch projection 19 which is movable in a direction perpendicular to the direction 18 due to the rotatability about the axis 21. The latch tab 19 engages in a gate guide 22 of the filling nozzle. Due to the mobility of the engagement pawl 23 along the axis 18 and the rotatability of the engagement pawl 23 about the axis 21, the latch projection 19 is guided within the gate guide 22 as the lever 15 moves.

In particular, the latch tab 19 may move into the capture position of the gate guide 22 as the lever 15 moves from the closed position into the open position. In this capturing position, the engagement pawl 23 secures the control lever 15 in the open position such that the control lever 15 remains in the open position even without an external force being applied. This will be described below with reference to fig. 3.

Fig. 3 shows a section along the line D-D shown in the region of the section marked by the letter B in fig. 1. In this view it can be seen that the gate guide 22 has a gate base 35 arranged parallel to the image plane of fig. 3, a plurality of wall elements 28 and a plurality of guide protrusions 29a, 29b, 29c protruding from the gate base. The wall element 28 and the guide projections 29a, 29b, 29c have guide surfaces which are at least partially inclined with respect to the opening or closing direction 18. The guide surfaces define a gate path 27 along which the engagement pawl or the latch tab 19 of the engagement pawl is movable. The different positions of the latch tab 19 are shown by reference numerals 19a and 19b in fig. 3. The gate path 27 includes a catch position entrance path 32 leading from the initial position 26 of the engagement pawl to the catch position 25 of the engagement pawl in a counterclockwise manner. The sluice path 27 also comprises a catch-position escape path 33 which returns from the catch position 25 to the home position 26 in a counter-clockwise manner. The capturing position entrance path 32 and the capturing position exit path 33 together form a closed path.

The gate path 27 is formed with pinch points including a first pinch point 30a, a second pinch point 30b, a third pinch point 30c, and a fourth pinch point 30d at a plurality of positions between the guide surfaces of the guide protrusions 29a, 29b, 29c and the wall member 28. The pinch points 30a,30b,30c,30d differ in that the spacing between the guide surfaces forming the gate path is less than the cross-sectional extent of the latch tab along the spacing such that the latch tab cannot initially pass through these pinch points 30a,30b,30c,30 d. However, in the case of the invention, in the region of the constriction points 30a to 30d, the guide projections 29a, 29b, 29c are embodied movable and thus form guide portions which can be deflected against a restoring force. Thus, the guide portion may be deflected by interaction with the latch protrusion 19, thereby allowing the latch protrusion 19 to overcome the pinch points 30a,30b,30c,30d in a predetermined direction. The deflection capability of the guide portion may be achieved by: the guide portion is formed, for example, from an elastic material, wherein the connection between the guide projection and the gate base 35 in the region of the deflection portion is preferably weakened or interrupted, so that the deflection portion can move relative to the gate base 35.

When the control lever 15 is moved out of the closed position in the direction of the open position by the force of the user's hand, the engagement pawl 23 or the latch projection 19 engaged in the gate guide 22 is moved upwards in the opening direction 18 starting from the initial position 26. The latching projection 19 here encounters the guide projection 29a and causes an inclined guide surface located there, which is displaced essentially along the catch position entry path 32 in the direction of the first constriction point 30a, which constriction point is formed by a deflectable guide portion and a fixed guide surface of the wall element 28, which fixed guide surface is opposite the guide portion.

Upon reaching there, the latch projection 19 displaces the movable guide portion to the left in fig. 3, and in this way enlarges the space between the guide portion and the fixed guide surface. The latch tab 19 may then pass the first pinch point 30a.

After passing the first constriction point 30a, the latch projection 19 can still be moved a small amount in the opening direction until the control lever 15 encounters a detent, not shown in the figures. The portion of the capture-position entrance path 32 from the initial position to the upper end 31a of the capture-position entrance path 32 is also currently referred to as the first portion of the capture-position entrance path 32. The mobility of the control lever 15 in the opening direction and the mobility of the latch projection 19 in the opening direction are thus delimited upwards by the stop.

On a subsequent movement of the control lever in the closing direction 18, the latching projection 19 is no longer guided past the first constriction point 30a, but is guided by the guide surfaces of the guide projections 29a, 29b, 29c in the direction of the catch position 25. The latching projection 19 passes here through a second constriction point 30b, which is formed by two deflectable guide portions of the guide projections 29a and 29 b. When passing the second constriction point 30b, in fig. 3 the guiding portion of the guiding projection 29a deflects to the right and the guiding portion of the guiding projection 29b deflects to the left, so that the latching projection 19 can pass the second constriction point 30b and take up the capture position 25. The portion of the capture-position entrance path 32 from the upper end 31a of the capture-position entrance path 32 to the capture position 25 is also currently referred to as the second portion of the capture-position entrance path 32.

In the capture position, the latching projection 19 is supported on a support surface of the gate guide 22, so that the closing force introduced into the engagement pawl 23 by the control lever 15 and acting in the closing direction 18 is absorbed by the support surface. Furthermore, in the capture position 25, the support surface is laterally delimited by upwardly directed guide surfaces of the guide projections 29a, 29c, so that the latch projection 19 is held firmly in the capture position. The control lever 15 is thus fixed by the latch tab 19 in the capture position, so that the fueling process can be performed in a comfortable manner without the user having to manually apply an opening force.

After the fueling process is completed, the user can return the lever 15 to the closed position by: the user initially moves the lever 15 in the opening direction whereby the latch tab 19 moves from the capture position 25 along the capture position exit path 33 (along a first portion of the capture position exit path 33) to the upper end 31b of the capture position exit path 33. The upper end of the catch-position exit path 33 is defined, as is the upper end of the catch-position entry path 32, by a stop, not shown in the figures, by which the mobility of the control lever 15 (and thus also the latch projection 19) is delimited in the opening direction. In a subsequent movement of the control lever 15 and the latch projection 19 in the closing direction 18, the latch projection 19 follows the rest of the catch position departure path 33 (the catch position departure path 33 second portion) and returns to the initial position 26 by the fourth constriction point 30d. The second pinch point 30b, which can only pass in one direction in a similar manner to that already described above, ensures that the latch tab 19 enters the capture-position exit path 33 as required and does not extend back through the capture-position entry path 32. The fourth pinch point 30d is used to guide the latch tab 19 into the capture-position entry path 32 during a subsequent new refueling process.

Claims

1. A filling nozzle (13) for dispensing a fluid, the filling nozzle having a manually operable control lever (15) for controlling the dispensing of a fluid, the control lever being movable between a closed position and an open position, and the control lever having an engagement pawl (23) configured to engage in a gate guide (22) of the filling nozzle (13), wherein the engagement pawl (23) is configured to follow an opening movement of the control lever (15) in an opening direction (18) and a closing movement of the control lever (15) in a closing direction (18), wherein the engagement pawl (23) is movable relative to the control lever (15) in a direction perpendicular to the opening direction or the closing direction (18) into a capturing position (25) in which the engagement pawl (23) secures the control lever (15) in the open position, characterized in that the gate guide (22) has at least one guide surface (23) or at least one guide surface (18) enclosing an angle with the opening direction, the at least one guiding portion is deflectable against a restoring force by interacting with the engagement pawl (23).

2. The filling nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the gate guide (22) has a gate path (27) along which the engagement pawl (23) is movable, wherein the gate path (27) has an initial position (26) and the capture position (25).

3. The filling nozzle according to claim 2, wherein the gate path (27) has a capture position entry path (32) along which the engagement pawl (23) is movable from the initial position (26) into the capture position (25).

4. A filling nozzle according to claim 3, wherein the catch position entry path (32) has a first portion along which the engagement pawl is entrained by movement of the lever (15) in the opening direction (18), and a second portion along which the engagement pawl (23) is entrained by movement of the lever (15) in the closing direction.

5. Filling nozzle according to claim 4, wherein the first part of the capture-position entry path (32) has an upper end (31 a) formed by a stop for the engagement pawl (23) and/or for the control lever (15).

6. The filling nozzle according to claim 5, wherein the gate path (27) has a capture position exit path (33) along which the engagement pawl (23) is movable from the capture position (25) into the initial position (26).

7. Filling nozzle according to claim 6, wherein the capture position exit path (33) has a first portion along which the engagement pawl (23) is entrained by movement of the lever (15) in the opening direction (18), and a second portion along which the engagement pawl (23) is entrained by movement of the lever (15) in the closing direction (18).

8. The filling nozzle according to claim 7, wherein the first part of the catch position exit path (33) has an upper end (31 b) formed by a stop for the engagement pawl (23) and/or for the control lever (15).

9. The filling nozzle of claim 8, wherein said guide portion is capable of returning to a rest position by a restoring force.

10. The filling nozzle according to claim 9, wherein the gate path (27) has at least one constriction point (30 a,30b,30c,30 d) comprising the guide portion and through which the engagement pawl (23) can pass when the control lever (15) is moved in a first direction, the engagement pawl (23) deflecting the guide portion when passing, wherein the constriction point (30 a,30b,30c,30 d) prevents the engagement pawl (23) from passing the gate path (27) when the control lever (15) is moved in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

11. The filling nozzle according to claim 10, wherein the constriction point (30 a,30b,30c,30 d) is formed by the guide portion and a guide surface opposite the guide portion, wherein the spacing between the guide portion and the guide surface is enlarged by deflection of the guide portion when the control lever (15) is moved in the first direction, and wherein the spacing between the guide portion and the guide surface is reduced by deflection of the guide portion when the control lever (15) is moved in the second direction.

12. The filling nozzle according to claim 10, wherein the constriction point comprises a first constriction point (30 a) arranged in the capture position entrance path (32), wherein the first direction is the opening direction and the second direction is the closing direction.

13. The filling nozzle according to claim 10, wherein the constriction point comprises a second constriction point (30 b) arranged in the capture position entrance path (32), wherein the first direction is the closing direction and the second direction is the opening direction.

14. The filling nozzle according to claim 10, wherein the constriction point comprises a third constriction point (30 c) arranged in the capture position exit path (33), wherein the first direction is the opening direction and the second direction is the closing direction.

15. The filling nozzle according to claim 10, wherein the constriction point comprises a fourth constriction point (30 d) arranged in the capture position exit path (33), wherein the first direction is the closing direction and the second direction is the opening direction.

16. The filling nozzle according to claim 2, wherein the sluice path (27) is intrinsically closed.